Mentalized Affectivity Among Adolescents in Wilderness Therapy: An Initial Exploration
Mentalized affectivity (MA) blends emotion regulation and mentalization in a single construct that underlies psychopathology and is a target of psychotherapeutic intervention as a mechanism of change. Little research has investigated MA’s role in psychopathology and treatment for adolescents. Change in MA has yet to be investigated. Wilderness therapy is a non-traditional treatment model for “hard-to-reach” adolescents; its mechanisms of change have not been robustly researched. This study aims to investigate change in adolescents’ MA capacities over the course of wilderness therapy, in order to explore the role of MA components (Identifying, Processing, Expressing) in adolescent psychopathology; the relation between change in MA and change in psychosocial dysfunction; and how the “prescribed” use of wilderness experience as a unique component of the wilderness therapy model relates to both MA change and treatment outcome. Quantitative analyses indicate that MA components predict psychosocial dysfunction, and MA change is associated with psychosocial improvement for adolescents enrolled in wilderness therapy.
emotion regulation, mentalization, mentalized affectivity, wilderness therapy, adolescence, Clinical Psychology
City University of New York - City College
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations